Star Wars Andor Episode 7 Review and Breakdown

Episode 7 of Star Wars Andor is exploring all the consequences of the robbery at Aldhani: political, economical, and military.

This is a transition episode full of deep dialogue that prepares us for what’s coming up next. The review contains heavy spoilers.

Andor Recap: the story so far

Cassian, Vel, and Cinta were the only survivors, Nemik, Taramyn, and Gorn died during the mission. Skeen was killed by Cassian after suggesting to take the money and run away, he took his cut and got away from there.

Syril Karn is getting a new job interview thanks to his uncle’s influence. Mothma brought up the idea of inviting someone to the inner circle, Luthen didn’t like it but he trusts Mothma’s judgment, or so he says.

The Empire Strikes Back

The heist on Aldhani was a success, despite the casualties, the robbery was committed and everyone in the Empire knows about it. The ISB is on maximum alert and someone important is addressing some of the higher officers.

Former Admiral Yularen of the Republic, once a close ally of Anakin Skywalker is now a decorated officer of the Galactic Empire.

He used to be a man of decency and someone who could be described as a “good man”, but that man is long gone, Yularen is now in complete alignment with the Empire and its brutal tactics.

He talks about how severe the measures are going to be, his exact words are “The only question we need to answer is how tight to close our fist”. This incident was a humiliation to the Empire and everything they represent, depending on who you ask.

Luthen Rael expected them to respond in such a predictable way, the only way an oppressor knows how to react when defied is with more violence and restrictions.

Dedra Meero is aware of this, she knows that by reacting in such a manner they are acknowledging publicly that there’s an ongoing Rebellion and the implications of it.

Everyone has their own way of doing things

Mon Mothma heads toward Luthen’s shop, she immediately questions if he was involved in the Aldhani incident. He’s not afraid of admitting so, wars are expensive, and they need a way to fund their operations.

Mothma does not take this news lightly, she genuinely cares about the well-being of others and such chaos is going to have the opposite effect.

From my understanding, she wanted to make things in a more subtle way but the limitations on her family funds and the fact that she’s being watched almost 24/7 make it very hard to make things the way she wants.

Luthen decided to take a more direct approach, he’s not afraid to use violence to fulfill his goals. Even if they’re both on the same side and have the same goal, they have different methods and principles. For Luthen Rael something necessary is unthinkable for Mothma.

By wounding the Empire’s image and ego, only tragedy and suffering will come out of it, Luthen is counting on this, the more chaos the better. The spark has been ignited and it’s only a matter of time until it starts growing up and eventually becomes an uncontrollable fire.

But after this, people are going to be enslaved, accused, or killed. For him, the suffering of people is necessary for the Rebellion to increase in size and power.

The sad thing is that he’s probably right, if you want a group of people to stand up against something or someone you just need to push them over the limit and the rest will flow almost naturally.

After this short conversation between Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael something has been made clear, they are not on the same page when it comes to how to do it and they probably never will.

This fight is bigger and most important than any of them, it’s going to require sacrifices from everyone involved but Mothma is not willing to cross certain limits.

Luthen, on the other hand, is starting to look more like an Imperial, after having such a successful operation he wants to cover his tracks and gives Vel the information about Cassian, she must find him and kill him.

I never thought that it would come to this, considering how useful he was I was certain that he’d be hired for more important jobs but I guess that’s not the case. Cassian now has enemies on both sides and he’s going to need a very powerful ally to overcome this situation.

Starting from scratch

After the Morlana fiasco, Syril Karn was dismissed and he had to return to his mom’s house. After a few episodes without anything happening with him, we now got to see Karn go to a job interview at the ISB, however, this is not an exciting position.

He’s in a place that’s the equivalent of a regular and monotone office job, a place that looks so boring and lifeless that I doubt he’s going to enjoy his new job. After exchanging a few words with his interviewer it’s more than obvious that his failure has only fueled his desire to make things up.

I think it’s only a matter of time until he deviates from his duties to start searching for information about Cassian Andor, the man that he thinks ruined his career. Syril Karn shares some personality traits with Dedra Meero, it’s not too wild to think that they might end up working together and becoming a very dangerous duo.

A perfect mask

Mon Mothma is hosting a reunion with influential people within the Empire, a necessary task to keep her true intentions hidden. Among these people is an old friend of hers, she refers to him as “Tay”.

Tay and Mothma know each other from their past on Chandrila, Mothma’s homeworld. Their friendship and his position make him the perfect choice for the Senator’s plans.

In the most discrete way, Tay talks about how he’s becoming weary of the Empire and implies that Mothma has been around Imperials for too long. This is when she confirms that he’s aligned with her sentiment, and explains some of her plans without revealing too much.

I love how everything we’ve seen so far has been an act, the insecure Senator who’s always talking about charity and topics that no one in the senate really cares about is secretly plotting, planning, and executing schemes that would play a very important role in the downfall of the Galactic Empire.

In war, there are many things that, if used properly can prove more dangerous than any weapon. Being a deceitful individual is one of them, some of the most dangerous Sith Lords in history were masters of this, it’s no coincidence that Palpatine became a master of this art.

But Sith Lords aren’t the only ones that can learn this skill, in an era where any indication of doubt can be harshly punished. Because of this, her discretion and ability to wear this mask are going to be key, as long as everyone has a very clear perception of her being an annoying philanthropist her secret intentions will remain hidden.

The true test will come when she’s under pressure and questions get asked, the same goes for Luthen who’s as involved as she is. I really want to see how both of them react when things do not go as planned.

Point of no return

Cassian returns to Ferrix, but things have changed. There are Imperials permanently stationed in the town, he goes to see Bix and she tells him that everyone blames him for what happened.

He’s surprised but it makes sense, he led them into the planet and put everyone at risk, before the incident no one (except Timm) would betray one of their own but now it’s a different story.

Cassian wants to take Maarva with him but she’s not going anywhere. After the news of Aldhani spread, she knew that this was the moment for action. Let’s remember that Maarva has been a rebel since the Galactic Republic existed, that’s how she found Cassian in the first place.

Now, after so many years of waiting, the time to rise is finally here. Maarva knows she’s old, fragile, and weak, but she also knows that weak people can be strong when united. She’s willing to risk everything including her life to make a difference in the galaxy.

This is one of the consequences that Luthen anticipated, the direct attack of an imperial garrison is going to inspire anyone who has grown tired of the Empire’s regime. It’ll have a snowball effect that not even the Empire can stop in its entirety.

Maarva is determined to stay, but Cassian must go. Things are not going to de-escalate any time soon and both of them have different objectives at the moment. Despite his role in the Aldhani heist, Cassian Andor isn’t a part of the rebellion, for him, it was just a job and something to leave behind.

I think that something very bad is going to happen in the next episodes, something that truly makes Andor’s hate of the Empire stronger than his fear. I just hope it doesn’t involve Maarva or Bix.

High-risk, high reward

Dedra Meero is playing a dangerous game, she went against the rules to acquire reports that were previously denied to her. She has a good instinct and more important than that, she’s able to discern patterns that others can’t or won’t ever bother to consider doing so.

Supervisor Blevin has been a constant obstacle for Meero but this time it’s different, her stubbornness has paid off, as Major Partagaz acknowledged her contribution and assigned her Ferrix, leaving Blevin humiliated and incompetence uncovered.

After the reunion, Partagaz congratulates Meero (kind of). Compliance and bureaucracy are two things that are common in the Empire, including the ISB. Meero is new in her position and she’s already taking risks and making enemies within.

If she continues to be this cunning it won’t be long before she becomes a very dangerous enemy. Not only for Cassian or the Rebellion but for her colleagues as well, in such competitive environments, there’s always someone willing to backstab you. It’s no coincidence that Major Partagaz advised Meero to watch her back.

She has the intelligence, gut, and ambition to climb very high on the ladder but Meero must be smart before doing big moves, it wouldn’t be the first time for an officer to “choke on her aspirations”.

Wrongly accused

Cassian is now on Niamos, a beautiful planet that has a lot of “Miami beach” vibes, shores, people having a good time, and lots of good ways to spend credits. Everything appears to be ok until Cassian is “mistaken” for a “criminal”.

A KX that looks just like K-2SO unit appears and is told by the shore trooper to “hang onto him”, it takes the order very literally and chokes Cassian with its robotic hand. The next thing we know is that Cassian has been sentenced to six years in prison for literally nothing.

It’s unbelievable how being in the wrong place and time could change someone’s life so drastically, but that’s what happens when incompetent officers are given any sort of power. It’s so scary how any of us could think of a similar situation in real life.

It’s obvious that he’s going to get out somehow, but unless he manages to set himself free I can’t think of anyone going to help him. No one knows his location and I doubt that even if that’s not the case, someone would risk so much for him.

Andor Episode 7 Easter Eggs

This time I didn’t spot as many easter eggs but the ones I did are probably my favorites so far.

Sam Witwer

I’m eighty percent sure that the Shore Trooper that arrests Cassian is played by none other than Sam Witwer, the voice of Darth Maul on Clone Wars and Rebels, as well as Galen Marek aka Starkiller; Darth Vader’s secret apprentice in The Force Unleashed. He also teased it on his Twitter account.

Jedi Temple Guard Mask

Luthen’s shop has a new surprise every week, this time it was the mask of a Jedi Temple Guard. There’s limited information about the Temple Guards but we know that they were in charge of the Jedi Temple’s security and served directly under the Jedi Order’s Battlemaster.

After so many emotions experienced in episode 6, this was a good way to calm things down, at least temporarily. The rebellion is here and it has made its announcement, everyone is making movements and preparing for the inevitable conflict.

Dedra Meero, Mon Mothma, Luthen Rael, Cassian Andor; all of them have in crucial moments of their lives, one bad decision and it could end in tragedy. The next arc of the series is probably going to show the brutal side of the Empire.

How do you think Andor is going to get out of prison? Is Vel really gonna try to kill him or does she have other plans in mind?

Star Wars Andor Season 1 Episode Reviews and Breakdown

This is a collection of individual reviews and a breakdown of all events, secrets, references and easter eggs in the first season of the Star Wars series Andor available on Disney Plus. Adrian goes beep behind the plots of each episode to discover what the world od Star Wars was like when the Rebellion was born!

Please note that every single one of the reviews contains heavy spoilers from the episode it analyzes. It's better to watch the episode and then read the articles.

Also, each review starts with a recap of the events leading up to this episode, so you will never be lost with where things pick up from last week.